Help Fight This Monster!

Through following others' blogs and webpages, I've been touched by many, many children fighting cancer.

Today, two more earned their wings.

I am certain that the world is crying, and heaven rejoicing, at the passing of Dante and Coleman. I won't post any more than their names, so that their families have more privacy, but I'm sure that many of you are aware of their stories.

There are many, many things we can do to help this cause.

The first one is to pray. Pray for the children facing this disease. Pray for their families. Pray for the doctors trying to find a cure. Pray that the government allows research that will help, and that they find funding for it.

You can also sign up on the Bone Marrow Registry. You swab your cheek with a couple qtips, send it in, and then you're registered. If there's ever a match, you'll be contacted and things will progress from there. There is a cost to become a donor (to cover the cost of tissue typing), but at times the registry offers free registration, or there are sponsors to cover the costs. If you can't afford it (and I know how hard time are right now) watch the site for one of those times.
www.marrow.org

Contact your senators, representatives, etc. Let them know you want to support this cause. No child should die from this monster!

Vote to ask Obama this question:
"Childhood cancer is the #1 killer disease of our kids: 46 are diagnosed & 7 die each day. Additional funding is needed for research into better treatment options. Will you include funding in your budget to prioritize research to save our kids?"
To do this, go to http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions20081229/
You will need to create an account, but it's quick.
Sign in, and search 'childhood cancer'.
This question will be the first pulled up. Click on the checkmark to vote for the question. DON'T ask your own question, vote for this one. We need it answered.

If you have time, you can give it, as well. Volunteer at your local hospitals. If you're crafty, you can make hats, blankets, lovies, etc. for the kids going through chemo or worse.

Just do what you can.

Cancer sucks.

Bittersweet.

You'd think, with all this extra time on my hands and all that...that my house would be spotless.

Well, it's not. It's not any different from when I was actually working-I haven't replaced my job as a teacher by cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. Although Sam probably wishes I would, I don't devote any more time to those domestic tasks now than before.

My time, of course, is taken up being Mommy. Less and less mommy, more and more 'Mom' or 'Mama'.

I have literally watched my child grow right before my eyes. She's taller, smarter, more herself every single day. She's developing like, dislikes, wants every second. Why, oh why, would I want to miss that by hiding behind a mop?

Don't get me wrong, the laundry and the dishes get done.

Today, however, Mikaela told me that she didn't want to grow up. She wants to stay little forever, and play with her friends at the daycare.

For some reason, that made me see the future so much more clearly. My child is growing up. Kindergarten is just around the corner, and after that...well, visions of prom dresses, graduation caps and wedding veils abound.

With that in my future, a load of laundry left undone, unopened mail on the table...it just doesn't seem like such a big deal after all.

Candy Land and Elefun are much more productive ways to spend time with my daughter.